I was born in Poonch (Kashmir) and now I live in Norway. I oppose war and violence and am a firm believer in the peaceful co-existence of all nations and peoples. In my academic work I have tried to espouse the cause of the weak and the oppressed in a world dominated by power politics, misleading propaganda and violations of basic human rights. I also believe that all conscious members of society have a moral duty to stand for and further the cause of peace and human rights throughout the world.

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Evidence of fraud as Hamid Karzai passes threshold in Afghan poll

Afghan police help injured civilians after a suicide bomb attack in Kabul on Tuesday. Photograph: Reuters

A commission backed by the UN yesterday declared it had “convincing evidence of fraud” in Afghanistan’s elections and called for a recount of suspect ballots.

The announcement came as the count put President Hamid Karzai over the 50% threshold necessary to avoid a runoff and win re-election. With more than 90% of the votes counted, Karzai was ahead of his main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, by 54% to 28%.